Harbaugh says Ravens not trying to be like Steelers

There’s a lot to admire about the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that doesn’t mean that the Ravens aspire to be like their AFC North rivals.

Pittsburgh has advanced to 15 AFC championship games – the most by any franchise since 1970 – and represented the conference eight times, winning six Super Bowl titles. The Steelers have also captured five AFC North crowns in the division’s nine-year existence.

Meanwhile, the Ravens have won two division championships and finished second to Pittsburgh three times.

In January, after the Ravens’ postseason ended with a loss to the Steelers for the second time in three years, owner Steve Bisciotti conceded that the organization was trying to enjoy the level of success that Pittsburgh had achieved.

“[They are] the gold standard,” Bisciotti said. “We’re trying. We’re trying to be there, and we’re close. They don’t take us lightly. So we’ve got their attention.”

On the heels of the Ravens’ first sweep of their arch-nemesis since 2006, coach John Harbaugh vigorously disagreed with a reporter’s query about whether the Ravens wanted to be like Pittsburgh.

“No way. You’ve never heard me say that,” he said. “I mean, I would never say that. We’re going to be like us. So that whole premise, with all respect to the question, that premise I would reject. We’re going to be like us.”